


Nail Polish

by Rumpleteazer



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Gen, Nail Polish, Robbie is a good boy, sportarobbie undertones that can be ignored, unwilling babysitting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9826790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumpleteazer/pseuds/Rumpleteazer
Summary: "These are pretty impressive," said Pixel. "Robbie did this for you?""Well, he did the right hand. Then I helped with the left!" Stephanie explained proudly."Can he domine?" Interrupted Stingy."I'm sure he will," said Stephanie, "all I did was ask!""Come on then, let's go find him!" Trixie declared.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I really like when Robbie interacts with the kids out of costume.  
> Inspired by a twitter conversation.  
> Unbeta'd.

Stephanie jogged up to the other kids, waving as she approached. "Sorry I'm late!"  
"Where have you been, Pinkie?" Trixie asked. "We were about to start playing monster hunters without you!"  
"Whoa, Stephanie!" Ziggy exclaimed suddenly. "Your nails look _so cool!_ "  
Stephanie beamed, holding out her hands for inspection. "Don't they? Robbie did them for me!"  
"Robbie _Rotten?_ " Trixie asked incredulously.  
The others quickly crowded around Stephanie's outstretched hands; Pixel even put down his handheld game to get a closer look.  
Each nail was two different shades of pink divided by a thin stripe of purple down the middle, matching Stephanie's dress exactly. The right hand stripes were precise, the left slightly wobbly. The nails glittered subtly in the sunlight.  
"These are pretty impressive," said Pixel. "Robbie did this for you?"  
"Well, he did the right hand. Then I helped with the left!" Stephanie explained proudly.  
"Can he do _mine?_ " Interrupted Stingy.  
"I'm sure he will," said Stephanie, "all I did was ask!"  
"Come on then, let's go find him!" Trixie declared.  
As a group they began marching determinedly toward the edge of town.  
"Do you think he could make mine look like candy?" Ziggy asked excitedly.  
"Maybe," answered Stephanie, "he has a _lot_  of nail stuff."  
"He has to do _mine_  first," said Stingy, prompting the others to laugh.  
"Why did you ask Robbie Rotten to do your nails, anyway?" asked Pixel.  
"Well," Stephanie began, "I was trying to paint them myself in the treehouse, but I kept messing it up. I was getting very frustrated when I noticed Robbie's periscope watching me. I thought, you know, he's been kind of nice lately, and I've seen his nails painted really prettily before. So I asked him for help."  
Stephanie paused as the group reached the billboard, leading them all around the side and climbing on the platform.  
"Next thing I know he's at the base of the treehouse, telling me to hurry up and follow him if I want to learn to paint nails _properly_." Stephanie finished, emphasizing the last few words with a vague approximation of Robbie's accent.  
The others laughed at the impression while Stephanie knocked on the hatch.  
The periscope popped up to look at them on the fourth knock.  
"What is it now?" Robbie's voice echoed grumpily from somewhere.  
Stingy spoke up first. "Mr. Rotten, could you paint  _my_  nails?"  
"Go away kid," grumbled Robbie, "I already," he paused, " _helped_  the pink girl today."  
" _Please_ ," asked Ziggy loudly.  
"You know," Stephanie interrupted thoughtfully, "nail painting is a _quiet_  activity."  
"Yeah," agreed Pixel, catching on. "We won't be talking too much if we're focusing on our nails."  
"And Stephanie's look  _so nice_ ," added Trixie, "we wanna learn from you too!"  
Robbie was silent for a beat. Finally he sighed, relenting. "… _Fine_. But only if you _promise_  to _be quiet_."  
"We promise!" chorused the children, before prying the entrance hatch open and clamoring down the chute, landing in a giggling heap in Robbie's lair.  
Robbie stood over them, holding a large basket and glaring. "The quiet begins _now_."  
"Yes, sir!" Ziggy said, saluting while the rest of the kids stood and brushed themselves off.  
Robbie eyed him warily, then sighed. " _Good_. Now, everyone sit over _here_ ," he ushered the kids to a freshly cleared patch of concrete floor, "and make sure to spread out enough _paper towels_ , we don't want a _mess_."  
The children formed a circle on the provided floorspace and passed around the roll of paper towels.  
Robbie placed the basket in the middle and opened it. "Pink girl."  
"Stephanie."  
"Sure." Robbie began pulling items from the basket and patted the floor next to him. "Sit next to me. You're already done so you'll be my… _assistant_."  
Stephanie smiled brightly and switched places with Pixel to take the offered spot.  
Robbie handed her a pile of stickers to spread out among her friends as he finished removing the more fragile polish bottles.  
When everything was spread out in the center of their little circle, Robbie moved the empty basket aside.  
"Wow!" Ziggy exclaimed, the other kids similarly in awe.  
Robbie couldn't help but look smug. "Now, everyone take a few moments to decide _for certain_ what you want. I am _not_  helping undo anything if you change your mind halfway through. And _be careful_ ," he added as Stingy tried to hold several bottles at once. 

Stingy wanted dollar signs.  
Trixie favored a pack of cartoon sound effect stickers.  
Pixel actually produced a spare circuit board for reference.  
Ziggy, of course, wanted candy.  
"Okay, great." Robbie selected various colors and handed them to the children: dark green for Pixel, lighter green for Stingy, red and yellow for Trixie, and cotton candy pink and blue for Ziggy. "First we're applying the base coat," he explained for the second time that day.  
"Even strokes, try to avoid overlap," Robbie demonstrated on one of Stingy's nails.  
The children got to work, eagerly opening the bottles and spreading polish on their nails.  
"Some of you might need two layers. Pinkie, help cookie boy open the bottle. _Loud girl_ , put down the stickers, it's not time for them yet." Robbie was quickly learning the difference between teaching _one_ child and teaching _multiple_  children.  
Robbie turned to properly face Trixie and Ziggy. "Both of you will be alternating colors, so be careful to plan which nail is which color." He took one of Ziggy's hands and tapped each finger in turn. "Start with pink, then blue. Pink, blue, pink. Tricky, same for you but with red and yellow, got it?"  
" _Trixie_ , but close enough. And yeah, I got it," said Trixie, reaching for the red bottle.  
"I'm not sure…it's kind of complicated," said Ziggy uncertainly.  
"I have the same pattern, we can do it together," Trixie suggested.  
"… _Great_ ," said Robbie with effort not to grimace, "when you're done with one hand, tell me. The order will be reversed for the other." 

When the base coats were dry they began detail work. Robbie focused on assisting Stingy and Pixel, as their designs were more complicated. He put Stephanie in charge of helping Ziggy and Trixie apply stickers evenly. The three of them were giggling away as Ziggy tried to narrow down which kinds of candy stickers he wanted.  
Pixel was a fast learner, and had a very steady hand while painting the tiny lines required for a circuit board pattern.  
"You might be a natural at this, kid," Robbie said, impressed, although he would deny it later.  
Pixel beamed at him. "You think so? Thanks!"  
Robbie wasn't sure what to do with that, so he awkwardly patted Pixel's shoulder and moved on to Stingy. "For the _hundredth_  time, Stinky, you have to _let go_  of the bottle to use it."  
"It's _Stingy_."  
"Really?" Robbie blinked. "…Whatever. Here," he produced a small sheet of piggy bank stickers.  
Stingy let go of the gold nail polish bottle to take the stickers instead.  
Robbie opened the bottle. "Pick which nails you want those on, then I'll teach you how to paint the dollar signs small enough."  

Robbie was just finishing a lecture on the importance of _top coats_  when there was a knock from above, strong and slightly frantic.  
"Robbie?" Called Sportacus's anxious voice through a speaker.  
Robbie rubbed his temples and looked from his periscope to Ziggy and back. "You there…Pixie?"  
"Pix _el_."  
"Right." Robbie stood up, gesturing between Pixel and Ziggy. "Your nails are done aren't they? Help Zippy with his while I answer this."  
"Ziggy!"  
"What _ever_." Robbie sauntered to the periscope and pulled it down, quickly locating the town hero. He spoke into the mic. " _Yes?_  What do you want, Sportaknock? I'm kind of _busy_."  
Pixel stuck one candy-shaped nail sticker on his nose and one on Ziggy's, causing the other child to giggle.  
"Robbie? Was that Ziggy? Are the kids with you?" Sportacus asked.  
Robbie waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, the br -  _children_  are with me."  
"Are they oka - "  
Robbie rolled his eyes, continuing over the hero. "They're  _fine_. Don't _worry_." Robbie noticed Stephanie watching him and made a face. She only grinned in response.  
"Can I come in?" Sportacus asked, not quite sounding reassured.  
"Oh _why not_ , everyone _else_  is down here already." Robbie grumbled, throwing his hands in the air as he spun to face the entrance tunnel.  
Sportacus landed on his feet, poorly-masked concern quickly giving way to relief and amusement as he scanned the room.  
Robbie crossed his arms and remained by the stairs.  
"Sportacus!" Stephanie yelled excitedly, and with that all the children began tripping over themselves in their eagerness to show the hero their nails.  
"Look what Robbie showed us!"  
" _Mine_  are better."  
"He said I have a natural talent!"  
"This one says 'Pow!' and _this_ one says 'Bam!'"  
"They match my dress and they _sparkle!_ "  
"Slow down kids, one at a time," Sportacus said, loudly but not unkindly.  
The children instantly quieted, showing off their nails expectantly.  
Sportacus inspected each one in turn, giving the exact right complements to make their faces light up with happiness and pride.  
"So, you all have been here painting nails with Robbie today?" Sportacus asked, straightening up to address the group as a whole again.  
"Yup! He's been _really nice_ ," Stephanie answered with a mischievous gleam in her eye.  
Sportacus smiled at Robbie, who shrunk back against the stairs.  
Sportacus turned back to the kids. "Did you thank him?"  
The children swarmed Robbie at once, shouting words of thanks.  
Robbie shrunk away even more from the mob of children, looking very much like a deer in headlights. "You're…welcome?"  
Sportacus joined the group with a backflip, smiling like the sun. "Kids, give Robbie some space."  
The kids hastily backed away, and Robbie visibly relaxed.  
"How about a snack break? Apples!" Sportacus hit the logo on his chest, sending seven apples flying into the air. He caught them one by one and passed five out to the children, who scurried back to their circle on the floor to eat.  
"Be _careful!_  Your nails _aren't dry_  yet!" Robbie reminded them.  
Sportacus held out an apple to him.  
Robbie responded with a withering stare.  
Sportacus put it on the railing next to him and took a bite of his own.  
Robbie eyed the railing apple disdainfully.  
"That was really nice of you to entertain them all like that," Sportacus said after a moment.  
"Their nails were _a mess_. I had to show them _how it's done_ ," Robbie explained, not looking Sportacus in the eye.  
"Of course," Sportacus said, smiling fondly. "And Robbie?" Sportacus stepped into Robbie's line of sight, " _Thank you_. I can tell they had fun. And you seem to be a good teacher; their nails look _amazing_."  
" _Hey_ ," yelled Trixie before Robbie could respond, "you should do _Sportacus's_  nails next!"  
"Only if you want to," Sportacus added hastily over the chorus of agreement from the other children.  
Robbie raised an eyebrow. "Could you even _sit still_  for that long?"  
Sportacus looked thoughtful, before shrugging. "I could try?" 

He could not. Robbie grumbled the whole time about painting the nails of someone _actively doing handstand pushups_ , but at the end of the day Sportacus had blue and white nails with a 10 on one thumb and an apple on the other.


End file.
